Angels rally in sixth for victory against Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies' Ryan Howard, bottom, dives safely back to second base after Los Angeles Angels shortstop Erick Aybar fails to catch the throw during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday. (Chris Carlson — The Associated Press)

ANAHEIM, CALIF. &GT;&GT; Kole Calhoun homered and had an RBI single during a seven-run sixth inning, and the Los Angeles Angels' struggling offense rebounded for a 7-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.

David Freese had a two-run double during the lengthy rally, which propelled Los Angeles to just its second win in seven games. Calhoun bookended the rally with two of his three hits for the Angels, who had scored just nine runs in their previous 61 innings.

C.J. Wilson (9-8) pitched into the seventh inning of his first victory since June 24, yielding seven hits and two walks.

Jerome Williams pitched five-hit ball into the sixth inning of his Phillies debut, but the former Angels right-hander's bullpen couldn't hold back his old teammates.

Calhoun sneaked his first homer since July 20 inside the right-field pole leading off the sixth, and Howie Kendrick drove home Albert Pujols with a tying single off Antonio Bastardo (5-6).

Byrd then badly overran Collin Cowgill's fly down the line, allowing it to bounce behind him for a ground-rule double. Chris Iannetta and Calhoun capped the rally with RBI singles.

Not everything went well: Mike Trout struck out twice in the sixth, extending his 4-for-25 homestand struggles.

Marlon Byrd and Ryan Howard drove in early runs for the last-place Phillies, who visited Anaheim for the first time since 2003. Philadelphia has lost eight straight to the Angels over the last 12 seasons.

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Ben Revere singled and scored on Howard's sacrifice fly in the fourth. Wilson's throwing error then led to Byrd's RBI single in the sixth.

Wilson still left to a rousing ovation with two outs in the seventh. He was winless in his last five starts, with an injury absence in the middle.

The Angels (69-49) bounced back from a week of mostly miserable hitting. After reaching the All-Star break as the majors' top-scoring team, they had managed nearly two fewer runs per game since the break, undermining their chances of catching Oakland atop the AL West.

Williams was resilient in his first start for his seventh major league team. Philadelphia picked him up off waivers Sunday from Texas. He spent the past three seasons with the Angels, revitalizing his major league career.